Will Swiss Cities Copy Paris Decision To Hike Parking Charges For Suvs?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) More than 54% of the votes cast in the low-turnout French public consultation on February 4 backed the drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hildalgo to triple parking fees for large SUV drivers from out of town to €18 (CHF16.90) per hour in the city's centre. Only 5.7% of the 1.3 million eligible voters cast ballots.

Hidalgo had argued that the bulky 4x4s take up too much space on narrow Parisian streets, are too polluting,“threaten our health and our planet” and cause more traffic accidents than smaller cars.

The higher parking fees would apply to vehicles over 1.6 tonnes with a combustion engine or hybrid vehicles, and over two tonnes for electric vehicles. The move would not apply to Paris residents' parking.

Global SUV sales have risen strongly in recent years. But the desire for vehicles with better visibility and extra comfort, safety and space have come with downsides. The shift towards bigger, more luxury SUVs in Europe has driven a trend towards new cars growing 1cm wider every two years and outgrowing the design of cities, an environmental group reportedExternal link last month. The International Energy Agency (IEA)External link has also warned that the global rise of SUVs is hurting efforts to cut emissions.

The Paris vote has infuriated many French drivers.“We must firmly oppose these attacks on freedom pursued under false green pretexts,” said the motorists' lobby group“40 millions d'automobilistesExternal link”, which has launched a petition.“If we don't stop it now, this unjustified rebellion led by an ultra-urban and anti-car minority will spread like gangrene to other cities.”

London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the Paris plan and said he would monitor its effectiveness.“I'm a firm believer in stealing good policies,” he told The Guardian newspaper.

The Swiss are big fans of SUVs. In recent years they have represented a growing trend, with sales doubling in five years to account for roughly half of all new cars in the Alpine country – whether petrol, diesel, hybrid or 100% electric.

“The [Paris vote] is very good news,” Raphaël Mahaim, a Green Party parliamentarian from canton Vaud, told the 24heures newspaper.

“The increase in this type of vehicle in our cities brings many difficulties. In addition to the occupation of space, there is also a safety concern, because these cars, which are heavier, longer and wider, represent a greater danger for pedestrians and cyclists,” he declared.

“Cars are becoming heavier and heavier, and therefore they consume and pollute more. We don't need these in our cities, it's an aberration.”

He is a co-signatory of a motionExternal link calling for an import ban on large SUVs (over two tonnes) in Switzerland which was proposed by other Green Party colleagues last year. The Swiss government rejects the text, arguing that national measures to reduce fuel consumption must concern“all passenger cars” and points to efforts made to curb emissions under the current CO2 law.

A Swiss-wide SUV ban seems unlikely in the short term. But in the meantime, local initiatives driven by the Greens are underway in Basel, Bern and Zurich.

Several weeks ago, the parliament of canton Basel City backed a Green proposal that called for higher vehicle taxes on SUVs. The local government now has three months to outline its position.

In Zurich,“blue” paid parking spaces for residents could become more expensive for SUV owners living in the city.

“The local council is currently revising the parking permit ordinance. Our goal is to grade the fees for the blue zones based on [car] weight,” says Markus Knauss of the Zurich Green Party. The proposal could be presented to the city's parliament this year.

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